Campaign finance bill takes hit from local rep

Wednesday

Jun 27, 2007 at 2:00 AM

CONCORD — One resourceful lawmaker can single-handedly block a major piece of legislation at the last moment by shining some laser-hot publicity on it. Senate Bill 91 will likely die today on both the House and Senate floors, thanks to State Rep. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth.

Chris Dornin

CONCORD — One resourceful lawmaker can single-handedly block a major piece of legislation at the last moment by shining some laser-hot publicity on it. Senate Bill 91 will likely die today on both the House and Senate floors, thanks to State Rep. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth.

He waged an Internet and e-mail campaign to warn fellow lawmakers the bill would make New Hampshire the campaign money laundering capital of America. His cyberspace lobbying effort spawned an irresistible political force last weekend.

Secretary of State Bill Gardner, former U.S. Senate candidate Granny D and Rep. Paul McEachern, D-Portsmouth, joined Splaine in a push to keep unions, nonprofit advocacy groups, corporations and business partnerships from winning the right to make unlimited and unreported campaign gifts to candidates and political parties.

Granny D was so offended by the idea she was gearing up one of her patented protest marches, this one to the Statehouse. The impromptu alliance warned that tens of thousands and maybe millions of dollars for the upcoming presidential primary election would funnel here from unions in Utah and firms in California or Chicago doing a run around strict federal campaign finance laws.

Splaine's "Remember Senate Bill 91" campaign forced members of last week's committee of conference to repudiate it. By their own press release, they're urging legislative colleagues to ax it today in the final session of the 2007 term.

"Our long tradition of transparency has spared us some of the political scandals elsewhere," Splaine told a standing-room-only group in Gardner's office. "All the committee of conference members withdrew their support for the bill yesterday. We can't forget this. We came within 48 hours of passing a very bad piece of legislation."

The good intent of the bill was to give every would-be campaign donor the same level playing field following a 1999 Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Gardner that skewed the balance in favor of corporations. The high court ruling voided a near-century-old statutory ban against political donations from a company treasury, but kept it in force on union coffers and business partnerships. The latter contributors often back Democrats. Nobody has challenged that part of the election law with litigation, or it would have failed too, experts agree.

The House passed a version of SB 91 that left committee with a 17-0 endorsement, letting all donors set up political action committees to make their company or union campaign contributions. That money could only come from voluntary gifts by employees, shareholders, top management or union members, with the full knowledge it would influence the election process. Organizations could never tap into their profits or dues in order to help candidates or parties. The House retained a bill that does all those things, but it can't become law before next summer.

Until then, corporations will enjoy a lingering advantage in the political funding game, Splaine said. He invited politicians from both parties to reject corporate gifts for the next year in the name of fairness.

The retained bill would give the Secretary of State regular gift reports from both donors and recipients. That double check would ensure transparency.

McEachern thanked Splaine for his dogged work.

"It was an anaerobic bill, and the light destroyed it," McEachern said. "The rationale of evening the playing field was good. But you don't open the campaign floodgates to do that."

McEachern warned the group about SB 106, which is similar to SB 91. Both will be voted on today.

"SB 106 is an anaerobic bill, too," he said. "Think of it as a lobbyists' relief bill."

Granny D waited outside Gardner's office for the press conference. The nationally known nonagenarian with the feather in her straw hat pushed herself from her seat with a cane. She has hiked more than 3,000 miles to ensure clean elections.

"They told me I wouldn't have to make a speech," she joked to the crowd. "But that's what I do. We want to leave our children a legacy we can be proud of."

The House/Senate conference committee last Thursday endorsed the Senate draft of the bill. Splaine didn't confirm the news until all the members had signed off on the joint text. Before then it was confidential by legislative rules. It left him little time to use the speed of cyberspace.

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